When graduating senior Christian Tam told a cafeteria full of younger students at The Noble Academy’s college signing day, “I’ll be going to…,” they corrected him before he could even mention his college. “Graduating from!” voices in the crowd shouted eagerly. “Graduating from Northwestern University,” Tam finished, revealing his gray-and-purple college t-shirt to thunderous applause and cheers. This group of…
The Rules of SummerTimeChi
As a child in Uptown, I lived by some hard-and-fast rules in the summer: Stay inside, stay in the backyard, stick to the “good blocks,” watch your back. I was never able to just play outside. I lived in constant fear of all kinds of danger.
To Get the Schools We Deserve, We Must Tell Our Stories
I have a love/hate relationship with the city of Chicago. I love the city for its beauty, vibrancy, diversity and opportunity. I hate the city for how its underserved communities sometimes gets the short end of the stick—especially when it comes to education. I grew up in Englewood and there were no good school options in my community. Luckily, my…
What’s Up in CPS This Week? School’s Out
Children enjoying the Chicago open fire hydrant tradition near Spry Elementary in Little Village. While the school year is drawing to a close for many students–tomorrow is the last day for students in most district-run schools–the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board recently predicted a long, hot summer for CPS as it overhauls its handling of sexual abuse allegations. If you volunteer…
Alex King: It’s Time to End Violence and Create Beloved Communities
As a young man in Chicago, I can tell you that sometimes, being listened to is all you need. It can open the door to a whole new way of being. In elementary school I got bullied a lot. When I came into high school I didn’t want to go through that again, so I made myself a loner. The…
Progress, Problems and Politics in the Chicago Public Schools
Last weekend, I bought a subscription to the Chicago Sun-Times, which recently instituted a paywall. I love the gritty, bare-knuckles reporting and cut-through-the-noise columnists of the self-described “Hardest-Working Paper in America.” I’m even getting home delivery. Monday morning, the paper arrived with a lengthy story on “fiascoes” in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that could become a headache for Mayor…
Middle Schoolers and Mentors Celebrate Careers
Nearly 400 CPS middle-school students and mentors from companies including Google, KPMG, Lenovo and Tyson took time to celebrate last Friday at Daley Plaza during Share Your Spark.
What’s Up in CPS the Week of June 11, 2018?
School Facilities Public Hearings Start Today For decades, Chicago Public Schools made decisions about construction and repair of school facilities with little input from the public and less transparency about the process. In 2011, thanks to pressure from community advocates, Springfield passed a law requiring CPS to create a 10-year capital spending plan, known as the Educational Facilities Master Plan.…